The Patriots missed out on taking an early lead when Leo Rose got behind the Cardinal defense on the game’s first play, but he was unable to hold onto the pass thrown by quarterback Brandon Mills. The Patriots went back to the well on second down, but this time Michael Latimer intercepted the ball at the 45-yard line for the Cardinals. On the next play, Pearson outraced everyone around the left end for a 45-yard touchdown run and a 6-0 Cardinal lead.

The Patriots’ next possession started with a six-yard run by Nick Destefano. A fumble on second down put the Cards in third and long, but Mills connected with Rose on a 30-yard pass play, giving them a first down at the Cardinal 35. Unfortunately, the Patriots’ next pass play was again intercepted by Latimer to snuff out a good scoring opportunity for the Pats.

On first down from the 10-yard line, Pearson swept around the right end for 40 yards and would have scored had it not been for a touchdown saving flag pull from Mills. The Cardinals then pulled out a little trickery with quarterback Brooke Capparelli handing the ball off to Pearson on the next play. Pearson handed it to Latimer on a reverse, and Latimer ran left before cutting back all the way across the field for a 20-yard goal run and a 12-0 Cardinal lead.

The Patriot players went three and out on their next possession as they opted to throw the ball three straight times, with Mills hooking up with Rose for 22 yards, but short of the first down.

The Patriot defense finally got a stop on the Cardinals offense, limiting them to a 15-yard run by Jack Mello. Spurred on by the defensive stop, the Patriots got moving on offense. A false start penalty backed them up five yards on first down, but that didn’t matter to Andrew Proctor. He ripped off consecutive 40-plus-yard runs to score a touchdown for the Pats and added the all-important two-point conversion run to pull the Patriots to within four points as the first half came to a close.

Pearson and the Cardinals picked up where they left off in the second half, scoring in four plays. Pearson gained four yards on first down, and next up Latimer ran for 35 yards and a first down on a reverse. Mello ran for seven yards, which could have been a touchdown had it not been for a nice flag pull by Class. On second down, Pearson ran around the left end for an 18-yard touchdown run and an 18-8 lead.

The Patriots next possession looked promising when Proctor got loose on a 30-yard run which might have gone the distance had it not been for Latimer’s tackle near midfield. A pair of fumbles and a penalty negated that drive and the Cardinals took over on offense.

The Cardinals put themselves in scoring position when Mello took a third-down hand-off around right end when he pulled up and fired the ball downfield to Latimer for 40 yards and a first down. The Cards ran the same play on first down, but this time Mello faked the pass and ran around the right end for 15 yards. Pearson gained five yards on second down, but Destefano intercepted the ball to end the Cardinals drive.

With time running out, the Patriots were in need of a quick scoring play and Class almost delivered, gaining 30 yards on a reverse before Mello took his flag. A penalty and two short runs ended the Patriot drive giving the Cardinals the ball.

Latimer was stopped for no gain on first down, but Pearson broke the game open with a 75-yard touchdown run to essentially end the game with the Cards on top 24-8.

Pearson finished the day with eight carries for 179 yards and three touchdowns, while Latimer had three carries for 75 yards, one reception for 35 yards and another pair of interceptions. Mello finished with 55 yards on three carries and chipped in with four flag pulls.

Proctor led the Patriots with four carries for 98 yards and a touchdown, a two-point conversion and five flag pulls. Mills connected with Rose for a pair of passes totaling 62 yards, while Class added 25 yards rushing and six flag pulls.

In other flag football action last week:

The Sand Dollar Colts defeated the Ross Built Chargers 34-13 behind a pair of TDs from Nicholas Mello in 10-12 division action on April 16. Mello, who also added a two-point conversion had ample support from teammates Bradely Duffman, Austin Marrow and Mikey Ellsworth, who each scored a touchdown for the Colts. Jack Blauvelt completed the Colts scoring with a two-point conversion. Ross Built was led by Morgan Hackworth, who scored a touchdown and an extra point, while Jake Ross scored one touchdown.

It was an offensive shootout in 13-16 division action on April 16 as the Beach Bistro Cardinals outlasted the Island Real Estate Colts 42-30. Max Miller paced the Cardinals with three touchdowns, while Jordan Grabski added two of his own. Danny Doyle and Chandler Hardy each added single touchdowns for the Cardinals in the victory. The Colts were led by Wyatt Hoffman’s two touchdowns and a two-point conversion. Aaron Vanhook added two touchdowns and Kyle Parsons had a pair of two-point conversions in the loss.

Galati Yacht Sales Texans outscored Mike Norman Realty Packers 26-12 for an easy 10-12 division victory on tax day. Logan Reiber and Chris Galati each scored a touchdown and an extra point, while Katie Christenson and Zach McGuire scored one touchdown apiece in the victory. Jack Shinn and Seth Walter each scored one touchdown to lead the Packers in the loss.

Island Real Estate Colts outlasted Strategic Ministries Cowboys 36-26 in 13-16 division action on April 15 behind three TDs from Aaron Vanhook. Kyle Parsons and Wyatt Hoffman added one touchdown apiece, while Henery Bernet chipped in with a two-point conversion. The Cowboys were led by Travis Belsito’s two touchdowns while Luke Shackelford and Justin Kile each added a touchdown in the loss.

Island Dojo Martial Arts Jaguars edged Sparks Steel Art Falcons 18-8 in 8-9 division action on April 13. The Jaguars were led by Jean-Paul Russo, Nicole Sewall and Tyler Yavalar, who each scored a touchdown in the victory. The Falcons were led by Edward Cullinan’s lone touchdown and safety.

Key Royale golf news

The Key Royale Club men played an 18-hole, two-best-balls-of-foursome game on April 15 and the team of Joe Dickinson, Pete Weir and the Proxy brothers, Peter and Paul, who carded 113 to edge Pablo Proxy, who was visiting from Mexico, and his teammates Bob Kral, Gino DiClemente and Vince Mercadante, by three strokes.

The men’s nine-hole game on April 13 was also a two-best-balls-of-foursome match and was won by the team of Earl Ritchie, Bill Melvin, Pete Weir and Tom Warda with a 14-under-par 50. That was one stroke better than the team of Jim Helgeson, Bob Schuetz, Al Gunn and Jerry Micho, who finished in second place.

Horseshoe news

The horseshoe pits at Anna Maria City Hall aren’t as full now that the “snow-shoers” are heading north for the summer. Four teams emerged from pool play during April 18 horseshoe action. Gene Bobeldyke and Tom Skoloda edged Norm Good and John Crawford 23-17 in the first semi, while Mike Lovey and Rod Bussey rolled past Herb Puryear and Lewis Arnold 22-11 in the second game. The final game saw Bobeldyke and Skoloda trounce Lovey and Bussey 21-8.

The April 15 games saw Karl Thomas and Adin Shank defeat Gene Bobeldyke and Rod Bussey 22-19 to earn bragging rights for the day.

Play gets under way at 9 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday at the Anna Maria City Hall pits. Warmups begin at 8:45 a.m. followed by random team selection. There is no charge to play and everyone is welcome.